LA ANGELS: HITTING: SS ERICK AYBAR will likely get another crack at the leadoff spot by default. DH/OF BOBBY ABREU can still draw walks and run a little. 2B HOWIE KENDRICK traded batting average for more power last year. He's still one of baseball's better middle infield bats. 1B ALBERT PUJOLS should benefit from DH-ing a couple of times a year. OF TORII HUNTER is fading fast and may not provide middle-of-the-order power. OF VERNON WELLS has a better chance than Hunter to bounce back, and the Angels have to be patient considering his monster contract. MARK TRUMBO will get a look at 3B. If he can't get it done, ALBERTO CALLASPO would start and Trumbo would back-up first and DH. Speedy OF PETER BOURJOS will start in left, and top prospect MIKE TROUT will soon replace free agents-to-be Abreu or Hunter. KENDRYS MORALES could DH regularly if his ankle is healthy. CHRIS IANNETTA is no Mike Napoli, but he's a monster upgrade over Jeff Mathis. STARTING PITCHING: JERED WEAVER had a lot of things go right in 2011, and it's not hard to picture him as a Cy Young candidate again. But he faded late in the year, and may not belong in the upper echelon or pitchers. A cutter has led to DAN HAREN's rebirth. He's right there with Weaver, just a step behind the elite arms. C.J. WILSON may not get the same run support, but he should benefit from getting out of hitter-friendly Arlington; he had a 2.31 road ERA last year. ERVIN SANTANA never developed into a top-of-the-line starter, but he's become more consistent and settled in as a solid starter. Once a washed-out former prospect, JEROME WILLIAMS came back to the States from Taiwan and delivered three quality starts last September. He's not likely to have sustained success, but he does have the inside track for a rotation spot. Middling prospect GARRETT RICHARDS seems like the most likely candidate to step into the rotation in case of injury. RELIEF PITCHING: JORDAN WALDEN will have the closer's role again entering the spring, but while he was overpowering he was also very shaky at times. He gave up seven runs over 2.2 innings in his last three appearances. RICH THOMPSON decided to lean on his cutter last year and the results were excellent. If Walden slips up, Thompson has to be in the closer conversation. LaTROY HAWKINS was solid with Milwaukee (2.42 ERA) and joins his ninth different team since 2003. He is expected to set up Walden as well. Lefty SCOTT DOWNS was far from dominant last year, despite his 1.34 ERA. But Scioscia does trust him in high-leverage situations, making him a possible fallback if Walden struggles. The Angels don't seem to have big plans for HISANORI TAKAHASHI, the most well-compensated long reliever in baseball.

HOUSTON: HITTING: This season will mark Houston's final year in the National League. Look away, children, as the Astros launch into what is sure to be the crappiest victory lap in baseball history. Tiny 2B JOSE ALTUVE's jump from High-A to MLB starter says more about Houston's pitiful state than anything. He belongs in Triple-A. CHRIS JOHNSON won the starting 3B job as JIMMY PAREDES was optioned to Triple-A. Johnson was thought to have 25-homer power, but last year he slugged just .378. 1B CARLOS LEE is in the twilight of a very productive career. Backup 1B BRETT WALLACE seems to be in the twilight of an unproductive one. OF BRIAN BOGUSEVIC has a low ceiling. But he's one of only a few recent draft picks who will even contribute. OF J.D. MARTINEZ doesn't blame you if you haven't heard of him, but he's the team's best player who hits third in the lineup. SS JED LOWRIE was a nice little pickup for a mid-tier closer. But his platoon split is intense. C JASON CASTRO will probably play ahead of CHRIS SNYDER. OF JORDAN SCHAFER has yet to put things together; but he'll be starting in center on Opening Day. Fourth OF J.B. SHUCK is only 24, but doesn't have a whole lot of upside. STARTING PITCHING: WANDY RODRIGUEZ has been a durable, above-average starter for five years, yet every season his real-world team limits his wins. He'll be traded at some point this year. Don't shortchange BUD NORRIS. He's an underrated source of strikeouts, and has improved his command. J.A. HAPP really needs to cut down on his walk total. JORDAN LYLES couldn't legally drink until the second-to-last week of the season. He's in the big leagues way too soon. He's yet another young Astro who isn't terrible, but won't ever set the world on fire. KYLE WEILAND came from Boston with Jed Lowrie and should earn the final spot in the rotation. Texas-bred fireballer JARRED COSART, 21, is a legitimately exciting (but risky) prospect who Houston will probably rush up to the majors at some point this year. RELIEF PITCHING: BRETT MYERS flummoxed the Astros' front office with a stinker of a season. He's probably closer to that pitcher than to the one who posted a career-best 3.14 ERA in 2010 at age 29, but he'll move the bullpen this year to get the rare opportunities to close out a game when this awful team is actually leading. WILTON LOPEZ was good in 2011, but was much better the previous season, when he may have been the most underrated reliever in the National League. Houston will go with him in the ninth if they want Myers to return to the rotation. BRANDON LYON has seen better days. He bombed early, then was shut down for good with a bicep injury. He intimidates nobody now.

Jerome Williams was hardly at his best in his most recent game but earned a win thanks to some impressive run support from the Los Angeles Angels.

He hasn't been nearly as fortunate in matchups with the Houston Astros this season.

Williams will try to earn his third straight victory and lead the Angels to their fifth in six games in Sunday's series finale in Houston.

Williams (7-10, 4.81 ERA) gave up six runs - one shy of matching a season high - over five innings Tuesday in Toronto but benefited from Los Angeles' 12-6 rout.

"He just didn't look like he was able to get his sinker where he wanted to and struggled through five innings," manager Mike Scioscia said.

Williams is 0-2 in his three starts against the Astros this season despite a respectable 3.06 ERA in those games. He's received only one run of support.

Williams, though, also wasn't efficient in his most recent matchup Aug. 16, needing 99 pitches to get through 4 1-3 innings. He suffered the loss in that 8-2 defeat.

The Angels (71-77), however, head into this game having batted .309 during a 7-3 stretch. They're also hitting .328 with runners in scoring position while winning 16 of 22.

Howie Kendrick hit an RBI double in his second game back from the disabled list Saturday and helped spark a three-run fourth inning in a 6-2 victory over Houston (51-97).

Kendrick, batting .301 this season, is 3 for 9 since returning from a sprained left knee. Chris Iannetta hit his fifth homer in 11 games and second in this series, which followed a 9-7 loss Friday.

"I didn't really have many expectations coming back to playing every day," Kendrick told the team's website.

The Astros are 10-8 against the Angels this season and have clinched the season series. They're above .500 versus only one other AL opponent, going 4-3 against the Chicago White Sox.

Paul Clemens (4-4, 5.91) will try to lead Houston to another win over its AL West rivals after being scratched before his latest start. The right-hander, who has no record and a 3.72 ERA in his first two major league starts, developed a blister on his right middle finger.

"It's tough," Clemens told the team's website. "I pride myself on staying away from that DL and missing time. ... But instead of missing three or four starts, go ahead and miss one and hopefully finish the season."

Kendrick, batting .345 in his last seven games against Houston, is 1 for 3 against Clemens. Erick Aybar hit a solo homer in his lone at-bat versus the right-hander.

After being activated from the disabled list Friday, J.D. Martinez could return to the lineup. Martinez, out since July 26 because of a sprained left wrist, is 3 for 6 lifetime against Williams.